Christmas 2016

As an adult I'm slightly glad Christmas comes just once a year.  Even being a bit lazy (by bad habit) and minimalist-ish consumerism (on principle) the holidays are too much--too much work, too much overexcitement and expectation, too much stuff, too much much.  I mean, I want Christmas to be marvelous and magical and something our children look forward to and look back on with a great deal of fondness.  I just wish I knew how to make an orange in the stocking be the pinnacle of the gift giving season.  I suppose I just spoil the children all year long and so Christmas is ruined by that.

Sorry, I didn't mean to start this off on such a negative note.  I was talking with a British friend about Christmas traditions--a lot of which concern food, naturally--and got a bit laughed at because our Christmas day meal is soup and bread.  She, coming from a tradition of a huge traditional British Christmas meal of turkey and allll the fixings.  I explained that, one, we do all that at Thanksgiving, and two, I would prefer to do almost anything other than slave away in the kitchen for a meal that my family won't eat and is too rich for us after the past few months of heavy food.  I'm afraid it came out rather defensive and resentful.  Which I am not.  I like our simple traditions and trend toward less.  I am trying to ascertain how to get to the root of Christmas--the spiritual and the secular--and leave behind the extras that bog it down.  Every year I get a little closer to it, I think.  I hope.  We have traditions from Collin's family and from mine that are special to each of us, then we have our own Dollahite/Lambourne family traditions because we've always been us for Christmas.  We've shuffled things around from all three of those foundations to make what is becoming a very nice order of events.

That said, we did finally try mince pies this year to see if we could get into this beloved English sweet.  We came to the conclusion that one must grow up on these for them to be a Christmas time treat.  We don't need to add them into our own Christmas traditions.  Though Christmas crackers may be one that stick!

Eddy specially, particularly wished for us to make and decorate sugar cookies for Christmas.  We made a list of about eight to ten things we hoped to do or see during December.  This was top of it!  I dragged my feet like I usually (sadly--I was sure I wouldn't be the type of mom I've ended up being in cases like this!!) do but in the end we had a very happy afternoon creating sugar mess.

 

Davy and Eddy came up with the idea to give Santa a present.  They were worried he didn't get many.  They made the most amazing book--I'll have to pull it out of its special storage place and take some pictures someday--about a robber trying to steal Christmas (ala the Grinch, though I don't know if they remember the original story very well) and ending up behind bars (his heart doesn't grow back).  Santa loved it.

I brought out an early present of mine.  These horses were one of my favorite toys to play with my friend, Megan, before and even after we got our own horses!  Eliza knows they are my special ones and will ask if she can carefully play with them.  I love that she loves them.  I even caught her feeding one an apple slice at lunch time.  All the heart eyes, as one says.

 

Our live nativity is better and better.  It's one of the things I most anticipate each year.  

 

 

I also really like welcoming Father Christmas into our home.  It is such fun to have him here.  He's such a special, sacred soul.  I've come to respect his role very much.  One thing I did this year, mostly for me, was to take no personal credit for any of the gifts under the "tree"--they were all from Santa.  Even the things I made by hand (and kind of wanted Eliza to know I made them) I emphasized were all from Santa.  Another thing was to make sure most of the gifts were to the family.  Each person had a token number--three or four (which is still A LOT!  I/Santa always get out of control)--for themselves and any others were for the family.  Father Christmas giving small gifts and experiences (thank you grandparents!!!) made Christmas that much brighter for all of us.

Christmas brunch of rice pudding, then soup and Pulla bread for supper.  Lots of chocolate and reading and playing in between.  Yes, in spite of my grumping about all the work involved (even in a simple celebration like ours) Christmas Eve and day are the best days of the year.

Finally, this video is forever long.  I wanted to make sure to keep in the real stuff--not just the pretties.  It's for us.  You are welcome to take a peek and share in our life if you wish!

Christmastime in London 2016

I'm just in denial that this was our last Christmas in London.  It was a great one!  We got out to enjoy the decorations and ambience in the months (yes months--with no Thanksgiving to wait for the city is festive come end of October!) before Christmas and then had a quiet holiday at home.  It was simply perfect. 

I'm not huge into going to see Santa.  I'm not against it, I just don't put effort into it.  I don't think any of our kids had ever been to visit a real Santa.  It's really too bad, because those pictures of the baby screaming are hilarious.  Poor baby.  Poor Santa.  This year I tried to get tickets to visit the Harrods Santa, remembering that even as a teenager I was convinced he was the real deal.  But even though I was on within a couple hours of tickets becoming available they were all gone.  Such a silly thing!  Anyway, the Father Christmas at Collin's work party was sufficient!  Whew.

We wandered quiet London back streets, saw the magical windows at Fortnum and Mason, climbed on the lions of Trafalgar Square with the Norwegian tree in the background, and kissed under the huge mistletoe at Covent Garden.

The London Christmas tradition I think I'm going to miss most is taking a double decker down Oxford and Regents Streets.

I'm always extra glad I'm in a bus and not on the sidewalks or stores!  The buses move slowly enough down the crowded streets that you can see everything you want to without loosing yourself in the hoards.

funnies

My little note card of funny things the kids say is filled up.  Time to start a new one!

Getting distracted from bedtime (as per the usual), Eddy was walking slowly down the hallway practicing his snapping skills.  "Is this snap loud enough?"

After a series of pushing Davy's buttons.
Eliza:  Davy, sorry, I can't annoy you right now.  I'm too busy playing with Eddy.

Dad:  Did you forget to turn off the light when you were done in the bathroom?
Eliza:  No, I just didn't want to.

Eliza:  I have a girl life.

Eliza:  How much longer do we get to borrow London?

Mom:  Eliza, you must either wear or carry your coat.
Eliza, in a whisper to Daddy:  Will you carry this for me?

Eliza:  Mom, you forgot to put on your deogreant.

Eliza:  Mom, your bum is too big.

Eliza, pointing up to the sky:  Look!  A blue cloud!
Me:  Sweetie, that's the sky itself.  Everything else is cloud.  I think we've been in England too long!

Davy:  Daddy is from the most American American country.  It's called California.

Davy to Eliza:  Please stop imaginating things.

Davy's a Great Eight

I'm holding up the show here!  I keep trying to get everything all neat and tidy--all the pictures in a presentable state and a video and my thoughts in the same place at the same time--and life is just not.  Tidy, I mean.  So I'll come back and add in the loose bits but I've got to get the main part down.

And the main part is that we love our boy Davy.  He's truly an incredible kid.  We feel honored to be his parents and watch as he grows into a lovely person.  Davy is a strong, sensitive soul.  He feels and thinks deeply.  He is mature beyond his years in some ways yet as silly as any eight year old has a right to be.  He is a fantastic older brother to his brother and sister.

This year was a special birthday year.  He got to have two celebrations.  The first, his family party, we marked the day before he was officially eight.  He chose to have pumpkin chocolate chip pancakes, chocolate cake into a Lego shape with 8 studs, and Neapolitan ice cream.  I didn't really know what he was most hoping for in a gift, though I gave a few (in my opinion) good ideas to those who asked.  A few days before his birthday I overheard him say to Eddy that all he really really hoped for was a pair of goalie gloves.  I was in time to slip a word to Grandma, who promptly sent them.  His face when he opened them was priceless--so happy.  The other gifts of books and experiences have been very well used and appreciated, too! 

On Sunday, Davy's eighth birthday, he chose to be baptized into the church.  He was as ready as could be.  He helped plan the entire program.  He willingly (I had a harder time) accepted the addition of another convert last minute when the missionaries were anxious to do it before the Christmas holidays.  He invited several neighborhood friends and our distant English cousins.  We were even able to have grandparents from Utah and California facetime in for the ceremony.  He felt very special and he simply glowed.  I admit I was a little concerned how all the attention and stress of the day would affect him but he handled it all perfectly well.  He told Collin that he wished he could be baptized again right after he came out of the water.  I was so proud of him and his choice--it was his choice.  I hope he can always remember the feeling of wanting to be clean.

Davy asked for the "jumping in jumpsuits" picture especially.

After the service of course we had a party!  Davy requested M&Ms, Fanta and Oreos.  I threw in some veggies, soup and bread (he said I could) and made him some Pulla Finnish bread like my mom did for my baptism.  Everyone stayed and ate the platters clean so it was a success!

I'd still like to take some baptism pictures but it's just so cold and drab outside right now.  I will try again come spring, but here are some pictures Davy willingly-enough sat for so I could remember my eight year old just as he is.  Silly and serious and snaggle toothed and sweet as spun sugar.